The Steps We Take :Hand in Hand:
by niver
Summary: It was as if all the lights had been turned off in his life, and he was suddenly able to see things clearer than before. /Narusasu/ /romance and angst and humour and fluff/ /oneshot/


**PLEASE READ. ITALICS AIN'T TOO IMPORTANT, BUT NON-ITALICS IS.**

**_A/N: A nice little oneshot. Also posted so I can this fic I'm thinking about called 'A Guide To Being Strange'. Main pairings (at the beginning) are Narugaa, Kibahina, Sasuino, Shikaino (Ino, the little slut), Itahaku. Keep an eye out, it's one of the 'omg angst and humour fics'. __But I'll stop this shameless plugging to say, I decided to write a nice little fluffy Narusasu oneshot. For I am a proud supporter of Sasuke._**

**THERE MAY BE SLIGHT SLIGHT SPOILERS AT THE END!**

**This doesn't follow the manga time line exactly I think, but I wanted Naru and Sasu in the same class. And 'Ruka didn't teach them right off . . . Also, anime-esque Saru funeral . . . And Sasu should sound very random and off-kilter when he's leaving Konoha, I meant his mental un-stability to be shining through. Crap. The middle is so angsty, there is such a lack of fluff. D: And then a nice, placid, I followed the manga long enough but now I say screw it ending. Their tents have been set up for a couple days, so they're like, tents you see in the medieval wars where people can stand up inside of them and you can fit in small beds and bedside tables for long stays. And I don't hate Karin. EDITED!**

**The Steps We Take**

**(Hand in Hand)**

The first time Uchiha Sasuke had seen Uzumaki Naruto had been during his first day at the Academy, when they had put in the same class together. These were the classes that were devoid of any girls (who they would join later, when the word 'cooties' didn't cause shrieks of horror) so it was only rough and tumble boys.

The dark-haired child had found himself shyly glancing around, doing his best to act like an Uchiha (something he hadn't quite mastered at the young age of six). He eventually found himself staring in mystification at the blond sitting near the front, looking totally hyped up.

Unlike Sasuke, the boy was grinning and giving off an air of confidence. There was something different in his eyes, something darker, but Sasuke couldn't quite place the emotion. And as he stared at the blue-eyed, blond-haired wonder, the only thought he could sum up was, _'he's cute.'_ As if people could hear his thoughts, the pale boy found himself blushing.

Once they were finally dismissed, Sasuke ran outside to meet whoever had come to pick him up (his mother) and chattered excitedly about what the Academy was like, doing his best to not talk of the whisker-ish marked boy. For some strange reason, he suspected his mother would not approve.

His self control didn't last through dinner however. When he casually mentioned the boy, who he had was pretty sure had been called Naruto, 'cause that was their teacher Iruka-sensei had yelled when the blondie had started a pencil throwing war. On the first day! Of course, maybe Iruka-sensei had been ordering ramen.

The moment he'd said, 'Naruto' and 'cute' in the same sentence, his father had quietly set down his chopsticks, went to the other side of the table and hauled his younger son up the collar and announced, "we must talk about something."

Ignoring Mikoto's protesting noises, and Itachi's bland, well-hidden annoyance, Fugaku had set Sasuke down in the family room and began to give an hour and a half long lecture on why liking other males was wrong, and especially liking 'the Uzumaki child' was doubly wrong, though he was quite vague on reasons for that.

After that, Sasuke took it upon himself to ignore Naruto at the Academy. He soon noticed he wasn't the only one, and pondered if the other children and their parents had gotten the same talk from their fathers. Only Iruka-sensei seemed inclined to talking to and acknowledging the blond. And sometimes he could swear he caught Naruto crying over it, but quickly dismissed this possibility and went to hide behind a bush. They may be in different classes from the girls, but they still had recreation time with them. That meant Kiss Tag. That meant a horrified Sasuke.

Days, weeks, months, entire seasons and years flew by, and Sasuke was eight years old, and had recently experienced his clan's massacre. It was as if all the lights had been turned off in his life, and he was suddenly able to see things clearer than before.

He recognized that he must kill the Aniki he'd held so dear, the one who had once informed his little brother after picking him up from the Academy one day that 'he had no problem with his otouto liking men, he just wished the other wouldn't stare so openly at the other boys during playtime.' For some reason, that had made him feel a lot better, and given him a fair warning.

He realized his life would never be the same. He sank into a kind of constant brooding phase, remaining silent and moody and refusing to smile. And even if he killed Itachi, he doubted he would ever return to the way he used to be. He was going to have to try even more than before (if that was even possible), push all his limits, become so powerful that the elder Uchiha would regret ruining his life.

And then, he was able to associate with that emotion always so clearly painted in the back of Naruto's cerulean eyes. It was a strange chimera between pain, sadness, depression and the most noticeable feeling of loneliness. It was an emotion that Sasuke could tell was shining freshly in his dark eyes. He was now able to relate to the sunny blond, an idea that continued to seem incredibly foreign to him.

And even more time, and he was even older, the girls loved him even more and it was the day when their teams were to be picked. He was actually vaguely anxious on the inside, despite his calm exterior, and had caught himself wishing to be on Naruto's team (a thought he quickly squashed).

When the Kiss had happened, the Uchiha had been quite shocked, and horrified to think that he was doing something his father had clearly forbade. But it had been over quickly, and Sasuke had proceeded to freak out over the fact he had _kissed_ someone who probably had the worst dental hygiene in the class. His first kiss too! Now the thought of losing that precious piece of his being to one of the girls way back when during Kiss Tag didn't seem so unappealing.

Then he was announced to be on Team Seven with Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, and he repressed a ridiculous urge to smile, and quickly frowned instead. He didn't understand half these feelings swirling in his chest, so he settled for ignoring them. The Kiss hadn't _really _meant anything, right? Right. So he decided to think about something else that was less . . . dangerous.

How about the nickname 'dobe'. It had quickly come to him for someone who acted like a total dunce, and who's position in the class success list was the lowest. Though sometimes Sasuke found himself realizing that Naruto wasn't stupid or dumb, just a bit naive, oblivious and reckless.

He wondered if the other's dub of 'teme' had also been a natural choice, and for some reason this made him hurt slightly. Did he really act like a bastard? He thought he was more of a, 'cold superiority' kind of person. But thoughts like these were displaced for meeting Kakashi-sensei, and beginning their adventure as a genin team.

Their first A-Rank mission, that had charaded as a C-Rank came quickly enough, and off they went to escort a bridge builder to his home town. But a series of unplanned events had followed, and Sasuke somehow found himself wondering how he went from being an innocent little boy to fighting another shinobi in their icy death trap. He supposed it was called growing up, and it was no where near as uncomfortable as things he'd have to experience in the just around the corner puberty.

Puberty was certainly going to be hell, like it was for everyone, but not as awful as trying to figure out his feelings towards the dobe. They had been carefully evolving and morphing into something strange he didn't recognize, and it was nothing vague like back when they were first put on teams. Something had solidified there, and just what it was still confused the dark-haired boy.

And for one, clear, breath-taking and _amazing_ moment, as Sasuke threw himself in front of those senbon needles to protect Naruto, he _understood_ that weird emotion, what it was, just how and why he felt that way. To save face, he'd commented about formerly hating the boy, but not adding that he now _loved_ him. He'd said his body moved on its own. And it was partially true, just he knew why his body had moved. To protect someone dear to him. To protect someone he loved. To protect the biggest moron in the world, Uzumaki Naruto.

He had honestly believed he was going to die, which was probably where that honesty to himself and Naruto had spouted from. The reason he'd allowed himself that soft little smile, because to him it was a nice dying thought that Naruto would be able to at least see him smiling, a true smile, one only for the blond alone.

He hadn't died. He had survived, to hear of a 'vicious' chakra from Sakura that apparently must have originated from Naruto. Sasuke would have been flattered that Naruto had _somehow_ become more violent over his 'death', if it weren't for his confusion and slight fear at the 'how did it happen'-ness of the evil chakra coming from Naruto. Also at his confession of love, which despite being only to himself was still highly embarrassing, and he chose to push this event into the back of his mind.

As if their team hadn't already experienced enough, they were to soon (or at least it felt soon) face the Chuunin Exams. Thinking of the Forest of Death could bring up a tidal wave of bad memories, those five days spent living a dangerous wilderness. Getting that curse seal, that made him do things he would never do normally. They met plenty of new people, ranging from the fuzzy-browed Rock Lee to the scarily psychopathic Sabaku no Gaara. They encountered Orochimaru, of course, and his assistant Kabuto, though they didn't know this at the time.

Prelims, and his battle with the sound nin. And despite the whole chakra and physical strength draining opponent and the active curse seal and getting pretty beat up in the end, he still considered it easier than fighting Haku. He had given the proper thanks (mentally, of course) to Lee, and subconsciously thanking Naruto. The other boy's voice just always seemed to get through to him.

Final fights, which was interrupted by Orochimaru's attack. Fighting Gaara, only to be there to witness Naruto summoning the giant toad which he henged into that nine-tailed fox. Which any idiot could connect with the Kyuubi, and anyone less idiotic who had known Naruto like Sasuke did could put two and two together and get four.

His theory of Naruto somehow channeling or housing the fox's spirit hadn't been confirmed, but it was pretty damn obvious. Another obvious thing was how Naruto was growing by leaps and bounds, and might soon surpass Sasuke. Hell, he probably had already done it by that point!

Sarutobi, the grand Third Hokage, their Sandaime had died, and at his funeral Sasuke found himself recalling not only a moment spent with the sorely missed village champion, but how on that day he and Naruto had been assigned to work on something together and Naruto had called Sasuke a 'pansy' for not wanting to squash a rather frightening looking bug crawling on the desk.

It seemed a majority of his thoughts around that time centered around the hyper and happy blond. When he'd gone to warn Naruto that Itachi was looking for him, he had mostly worried about saving Naruto, who he definitely could not allow to get harmed, though the constantly vengeful part of him only wanted to rip out Itachi's heart, or something equally pleasant.

He had gotten beaten, and forced to relive over a few of the worst moments in his life, and had been immediately put on bed rest in the hospital. Left to brood in his own thoughts too long, he came upon two severally depressing realizations.

He still wasn't strong enough to defeat his brother. Which wasn't much of a shock, but it still hurt to know that his progress at the moment was nothing compared to what his brother had been doing at this time.

And all the love he felt for Naruto . . . what chance was there of it being returned? Pretty much nil. The blond had clearly showed that he considered Sasuke a friend on several occasions, and he was all 'lovey-dovey' for Sakura. Chances are he wasn't, well, _gay_, like Sasuke was. And to add, all the love he'd given out in life had been destroyed or thrown back in his face, so why hope from something different from the dobe? His father had never showed he truly cared for him, his elder brother had betrayed him, his mother had died on him . . . why bother trying, why bother reaching in futile for something constantly out of your grasp.

He proceeded to sink into deeper and darker thoughts on a variety of subjects. Yet, it wasn't until his large fight with Naruto on the hospital roof, that Sasuke finally got pushed over the edge, he had simply _snapped_,.

_He loved Naruto. Naruto did not love him back. Naruto was stronger than him. Sasuke needed to get stronger with Orochimaru's help? Yes. Because Sasuke needed to get strong to defeat his brother. Because his brother had killed their clan. Maybe if he hadn't, Sasuke would have been happier, more normal. Like Sakura. Maybe Naruto would of liked him then._

It was a dizzying, repetitive and circular thought process, with things seeming to always return to power, his brother and Naruto. A process that continually spiraled downwards into a deep pit of despair. So, he'd ran. He'd met up with the Oto Four, who, though they weren't the straw that broke the camel's back, stood the important job of being the one to direct the camel to a vet.

He'd gone with what they'd said. He'd said a good bye to Sakura, at least. Or something similar. He was planning on just leaving and ignoring her, but when she'd said, 'I love you!' with such conviction, with such a longing caused by unrequited love, Sasuke could see himself, or more like hear himself in the pink haired girl's words. This situation could so easily be changed. Naruto could be the one leaving, and Sasuke could be the one desperate to announce his confession. How would he have wanted Naruto to reply, if the other boy didn't love him . . ?

"Thank you," he'd murmured, knocking her unconscious. And by doing this, he almost felt like he was doing this to himself, giving the 'part' (though it was more of a whole) of him that loved Naruto a chance to go and meet new people, to forget the one it, or he, loved. Like he was doing for Sakura. So as he left Konoha, he also left behind his love, figuratively and non-figuratively. His love wasn't dead, or vanished, simply packed away. His heart locked away in a chest, until the one who had the key came to free it and let it feel all the sometimes painful but wonderful feelings again.

He had seen Naruto again sooner than expected. And it hadn't been after he'd left Orochimaru and killed Itachi, like he had somewhat fantasized before. In fact, he hadn't even gotten to Orochimaru yet when the other boy had caught up with him when they reached Valley of the End. A well-suited name, Sasuke decided as he insulted the dobe, who stood on the opposite end of the valley. A place to end it all . . . maybe even in death.

For when it came to the curse seal, Sasuke found himself thinking morbidly, and even considering killing Naruto in order to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan. He refused to do this though. He refused to kill the one he cared for so deeply. He refused to play by Itachi's rules, to be Itachi's _puppet_.

But that didn't mean that Sasuke couldn't attempt to discourage the blonde, to get him running back to Konoha. He wanted to defeat the moron quickly, so the curse seal couldn't take over any further – the 'Curse Seal Level Two' did not seem like a fun thing to partake in. Even completely going under the control of the First Level meant he could lose his common sense and human emotions and kill Naruto.

Yet despite his careful planning in this area, Naruto didn't want to go down without a large, violent battle. Sasuke tried everything with the other. He hurt him physically. He hurt him mentally. Emotionally. But the blond continued to fight, like a particularly possessive dog will continue to cling to its steak. And because of this, Naruto's persistence, he lost that control he'd tried to keep. He hurt the blond severely, and died a little on the inside.

And at the end of this fight, the worst by far any friends, any best friends, should have, as Sasuke stared down at the blue-eyed boy and the rain fell around them, he could only think, _'of course the skies would cry for Naruto.'_ He never considered that the skies might be crying for him and the choices he'd made, for in his mind Naruto was vastly more important in the eyes of others. People loved Naruto, they couldn't resist his charismatic personality, even if he was as rude and obnoxious as any brat you'd meet. Sasuke didn't draw people to him like Naruto did, he turned them away. So it was only fitting the heavens unleashed their tears for the lovable blond.

So, battered and bruised, resisting the urge to place a small kiss on Naruto's forehead, he took off into the consuming darkness. He forced his thoughts away from everything – _everyone – _that he was leaving behind, and onto Itachi and power. This was how it was meant to be. In his life, there was no time for fairy-tale romances.

This was one of the many things he constantly reminded himself as he trained with Orochimaru, learning how to fight with deadly skill, and how to act completely impassive and not let a single thing ruffle his feathers, so to speak. It had taken a majority of his composure training to not react when, after all these years of traveling and training, he got to see the dobe again.

Except the dobe hadn't been like he'd been a long time ago. Sasuke could recall referring to the blond as 'cute' a long time ago. A childish way to say you found someone attractive. But it didn't matter what sense you used it in, for Uzumaki Naruto was no longer cute – he was absolutely-fan-fuckin' _gorgeous._ Next to him (figuratively of course, there was actually quite a distance between them), Sasuke felt that his low level of sleep was finally catching up with him. He was probably breaking out (not that he'd ever had the problem of being spotty) and growing buckteeth while hair sprouted out his ears and he developed huge bags and Lee-like eyebrows.

He nearly winced.

That would be a terrifying sight, and even if it was only a mental over-reaction on his part he still felt quite measly compared to the handsome, bronzed, blond-haired, cerulean-eyed creature standing there in some edited version of his horrid orange jumpsuit. The new one, he noted, looked much better on the other teen. Certainly, Naruto could make anything look good. Even that green spandex favored by Gai and Lee.

Of course, as he went over these thoughts, he had no idea that not only Sakura, but Sai and Naruto were appreciating the sight of the pale, well-built Uchiha showing off his chest in an almost whorish manner. He was drop-dead sexy. Little Sasuke may had been a big hit among the girls, but Older Sasuke was going to cause nosebleeds among all females he passed.

The rest of their meeting after that was filled with a short scuffle. Sasuke left with Orochimaru, mind still slightly frazzled by just how _good_ his former-best friend yet still love interest looked. Naruto returned to Konoha with Team Yamato, starting to seriously reconsider his life as a straight man. After all, he did seem to spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about Sasuke, trying to get Sasuke back, getting stronger for that purpose. Was he interested in Sasuke . . . that way? The blond had always thought he'd done what he'd done because he considered Sasuke a brother.

But a brother would never check out his brother like that. Not that Naruto had much experience with family things himself, but he did remember when someone (Gaara) had jokingly (though it was hard to tell when the Kazekage joked) suggested that Kankuro and Temari were dating. After that, Naruto got an earful from Temari as she yelled at her younger, red-headed brother about the wrongness of incest, and if she needed to she'd put it into terms he'd understand: KankuroxGaara.

A few months later, news came through that Sasuke had killed Orochimaru. Barely no time after that, they began to hear that he was collecting followers into a group called, 'Hebi', who's sole purpose was to kill Uchiha Itachi. They went out in their little group, and Naruto, Hinata and Yamato bumped into Kabuto and effectively killed him. It was for the best, as his one-third-controlled by Orochimaru could cause trouble.

Later, it was heard that Sakura had gotten into a battle as well, with a red-haired woman who turned out to be working for Sasuke. Sakura had killed her, then joined up with Kakashi and the others, for all that was left between them and Sasuke was two males, also known as Juugo and Suigetsu.

But before they could see Sasuke, he somehow got a signal out to Suigetsu and Juugo, and the now trio had left, leaving the Konoha group to discover the dead Deidara and Tobi.

After this came a series of encounters with Hebi, though they never actual saw Sasuke, who Naruto decided was avoiding them (which sounded so immature he hit himself). This was bad (even if Sasuke seemed to be killing off Akatsuki members, with their help occasionally), because Naruto had recently come to a realization concerning how he felt for the Uchiha.

For the past few months, Naruto had been analyzing almost everything he'd ever done with the Uchiha, everything he'd said, done and acted like in the other's presence. He considered his emotions, which had evolved from indifference, to disgust, a phase of irritation, then anger, followed by hatred, which turned into rivalry, which morphed into friendship which had formed, finally, into . . . love.

He and Sasuke had shared a complex relationship that had looked so shallow and skin-deep on the surface, but if you explored you would discover all the technicalities and little things that made it such an interesting study. They weren't—or should he say hadn't been---just two dominant-headed males who clashed easily, enjoyed insulting, fighting and arguing with each other, and cared not much for the other past being a teammate they have to keep alive and a grudgingly accepted friend.

Perhaps if you wanted to sum up their relationship (past relationship?) you could say this, but you would be missing out on how each thing they do can make a huge impact in the other. The two seemed to have been born for each other. Yin and Yang. They complimented each other, and if they were a jigsaw puzzle their pieces---both with different sides---would snap together and give you a picture, a whole, made from the two of them.

And so, with the need to get this confession off his chest, Naruto got his group to plow on, and to continue to follow the Uchiha and his minions. What they didn't expect was that between a mixture of their combined strengths working together---(it was official, Sasuke was avoiding Naruto and not their group as a whole, so the blond still hadn't said those three words)---they managed to take down any remaining Akatsuki members, going all they way up to the leader and the mystery member. The odd, Konoha-Hebi alliance was quite strong, even if Konoha had unfortunately killed a member of Hebi. Really, even Kisame was pushing up daisies, though somehow Itachi had managed to escape the genocide of his co-workers and had disappeared.

But not for long. They had people like Kiba with them, who had an amazing sense of smell, not to mention a giant dog, just like Kakashi had his summoned canines, and they stalked him down by the fifth week after leaving Konoha. The battle between Sasuke and Itachi was a harsh one, and Sasuke nearly died if it weren't for his curse seal kicking in last minute, and definitely turning the tide of the fight.

And by the end of the easily hours long fight---Sasuke had forbidden anyone to interfere---Naruto was fidgeting impatiently in the tent he shared with Kiba and Shino, who were both currently out. Damn the stubborn bastard that was Uchiha Sasuke, he had said they couldn't help, run off to what may be certain death, and hadn't given the blond a chance to say, "I love you."

"What did you just say?" Naruto jumped at that familiar voice, and snapped his head around quickly to stare at Sasuke. He was much too worried about the other's beaten, bruised and battered body, that was littered with cuts to care that he'd said "I love you," out loud. The dark-haired teens eyes had a haunted look to them, but if it was possible they also looked strangely at peace and happy. Naruto was banking that Sasuke was glad to finally have defeated his brother, but the elder Uchiha had used the Mangekyou at some point.

"Nothing. Sit down, I have to do something about your injuries." Naruto shook his head. "Can't you win a fight without coming out of it looking like someone just beat you with a stick? Actually, don't answer that. I don't need a reminder of how great you are. Just sit down already, and let me congratulate you for finally beating your creepy brother. Though I am kind of surprised you came to me first, since you've been avoiding me and all . . ." When it occurred to him that he was babbling, a habit he associated with being nervous that he thought he'd dropped a long time ago, he stopped talking.

Sasuke gingerly sat down on a thin pillow, and winced as Naruto began to dab at his cuts with a container of water he'd obviously had ready, on the off-chance Sasuke survived then came to him. Sasuke felt comforted by the fact that his long-lasting love cared this much about him, and decided to reply to a few of the things Naruto had blabbered about. "Thanks for the congratulations, I'm happy myself. I went to Kakashi first, actually. He told me a first aid kit was in here, since Sakura is fast asleep and it would be rude to wake her up. And I haven't been avoiding you, I've just been selectively choosing places to be in that do not have you nearby."

"Sasuke, cut the crap. Don't think I'm so stupid I can't tell that you just said you are avoiding me in fancy terms." Naruto continued his job of cleaning the wounds, before reaching for antiseptic and bandages.

Sasuke didn't know how to reply to this, so he shifted uncomfortably before a steely look came into his eyes. Way back when, back in the days when he had fantasized about returning to Naruto after defeating Orochimaru and Itachi, he had made a promise that if ever such a series of events were to occur, he'd come back to Konoha, accept any punishment they threw at him and confess his love to Naruto, though it didn't have to be in that order. So, unless he was planning on wimping out and putting the entire Uchiha clan to shame, he had better say those simple three words, get it over with, and wait for rejection.

"Well, I've been avoiding you because I realized that I was going to have to keep a promise soon, and this promise involves you in slightly embarrassing ways." Sasuke began cautiously, as Naruto began to dress and wrap his injuries. The blonde raised one golden eyebrow and replied.

"What promise?" Sasuke took a deep breath, exhaled, glanced up to meet Naruto's blue eyes, found the colour a little too captivating and stared into his lap. It was now or never, he reasoned. Time to grow a spine – if Sakura could say it to him when they were younger, he should be able to say it to Naruto now. After all, Naruto was much more approachable than Sasuke was, especially years ago.

"That I would return to Konoha – I'm thinking of taking Suigetsu and Juugo with me – accept and punishment they bestow on me . . . and . . . well . . . tell you that I love you." Sasuke finished at last, listening to the silence following his announcement and not looking up from his ever so fascinating lap. At least, not until a rough hand, from years of holding weapons and fighting in general, grasped his chin and gently forced his head up.

His dark eyes met Naruto's light ones, and he noticed that Naruto was grinning. Did the dobe consider this a joke? If he did, Sasuke was going to beat him so bad – "I love you too, Sasuke. I'm glad you've finally stopped avoiding me long enough so I can tell you." Sasuke, despite years of that good ol' composure training, let his mouth open in shock as his eyes widened significantly. _This_ he had not expected. For Naruto to actually . . . love him! It was so surreal. Like, he was floating on Cloud Nine, and nothing, absolutely nothing, could bring him back down to reality.

Apart from a kiss, that is. Apparently Naruto was done fixing up Sasuke's external injuries (he missed the broken fingers on both hands, but whatever, that's more internal) and had decided to display his love to Sasuke in a very . . . physical fashion. And he was _good _at it.

Enjoying himself, Sasuke tipped his head back and gave Naruto access to his bruise-covered neck, and he was pretty sure the other added a bruise of his own, if you catch his flow. But the attention once again shifted back to Sasuke's pink lips, as Naruto caught them in yet another kiss, and his tongue began to explore Sasuke's mouth.

Now, all this time the only real kiss on the lips Sasuke has gotten was from Naruto, with their accidental kiss. So he was quite a virgin in the whole kissing business, and mostly just lay there and let Naruto rape his mouth, inserting pleasured little noises like moans and hums whenever the mixture of Naruto's mouth on his own and the blond's tanned hands gently running down the Uchiha's pale body made him happy enough. (Take the word happy whichever way you'd like.)

Before they could get too busy however, an obviously just awoken Sakura appeared at the tent entrance, rubbing one eye and asking, "Sasuke, you need a medic nin's help righ– NARUTO, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO SASUKE?"

Her angry yell caused Naruto to jump back, a guilty expression staining his face as he rubbed the back of his head nervously with one hand. "Ahh, Sakura-chan, I was just . . . ahh . . . sorry?" He tried, trying to look pitiful as he prepared himself for a ground-breaking punch, mentally waving goodbye to the slightly pink Sasuke, who apparently was quite embarrassed about being caught making out with his supposed . . . 'friend'.

"You didn't let me finish! What the heck were you doing to Sasuke, without me having a camera on me at all!" When Sakura finished this angry statement, Sasuke stared at her, frightened but doing his best to hide it. Meanwhile, Naruto only grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I kinda got distracted, or I would have warned you to bring your camera to this tent." Naruto and Sakura seemed to have engaged in a sort of banter designed to humiliate Sasuke (or at least he thought so). Why else would they be acting so . . . perverted? And open?

As Sasuke watched Naruto ask Sakura in a total professional manner if she would be having any lube on her at the moment, he decided that sometimes dreams come true can have their dark sides.

"Yeah, and you can have it if I get to watch you guys make out and take some nice pictures for my apartment wall."

Correction. Evil, malicious dirty and slightly creepy dark sides.

**END**

**A/N: Sooooooooo. What do you think? :D I tried to keep them all in character. I mean, I can see Sakura and Naruto having a conversation like that in the fun of Sasuke poaching. I mean taunting. 11 pgs!**


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